Celebrating Indigenous Artistry: Sohrai & Khovar Workshop
Date: 17 January 2026
Slot 1: 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Slot 2: 4:00 – 5:30 pm
Venue: KCC Gallery Store
Registration fees: INR 300
As part of the 7th edition of KCC’s annual symposium -- Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, KCC presents a workshop offering an introduction to Sohrai and Khovar – the traditional art forms of Jharkhand, originating from Hazaribagh's forest villages.
While Sohrai paintings are related to the festival of Sohrai which is celebrated during the autumn months after the Hindu festival of Diwali, Khovar paintings specifically relate marriage rituals among the tribes in the region – both art forms having matriarchal roots and being passed on from mothers to daughters.
Putli Ganju and Anita Devi – two expert artisans supported by Sanskriti Museum and Art Gallery, Hazaribagh, Jharkhand, and coordinated by Shafaque Meerza, an associate of Tribal Women Artists Cooperative (TWAC) and Life Member of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) – will guide participants to know the history and evolution of these ancient mural styles and create their own Sohrai and Khovar artworks on paper using natural earth colours.
The artisans will also be demonstrating Khovar and Sohrai alongside Gustav Imam’s session at Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam VII on 16 January 2026.
About the facilitators
Putli Ganju is an internationally acclaimed artist who has exhibited and worked widely in Australia, Europe, England, and Canada. Taught by her mother Bigni, Putli Ganju paints in the Ganju style and has since 1995 has been a resident of the Tribal Women Artists’ Cooperative founded by Bulu Imam at Sanskriti Centre in Hazaribagh. Her Sohrai mural Hunting Scene is placed in the Art Gallery of New South Wales; Animals in the Australian Museum, Sydney; and Jungle Scene was acquired for the permanent collection of the National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa.
Anita Devi is a Khovar artist from the village of Kharati in the Barkagaon Valley, well-known for its Khovar paintings. Born in a potter’s family, she learned the art of making Khovar paintings from her mother, late Jasodha Devi. Anita Devi has developed herself as a professional artist travelling and exhibiting her art across India and abroad through the Tribal Women Artists Cooperative (TWAC) under the guidance of Padmashri Bulu Imam. Recently she painted a large Khovar mural at the National Gallery of Modern Art in Kolkata, along with Putli Ganju.
